The Type-50 Directed Energy Rifle/Heavy (T50 DER/H), commonly known as the Concussion Rifle, is a Covenant infantry weapon.[2] The general design of the Concussion Rifle was engineered by a group of Sangheilimerchants from Qikost long before the signing of the Writ of Union; when the Sangheili joined the Covenant, the Concussion Rifle entered service within the hegemony. Though the physical configuration of the weapon has changed over the millennia, its function has remained the same.[3]

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The T50 DER/H fires explosive bolts of superheated plasma, with a single magazine containing six shots. When the plasma bolt hits a surface, it produces area-of-effect damage and a small "kick" to users and objects. The weapon shares many of its features with the heavier plasma mortar, including a slight downward arc to its shots.[3]

The weapon can be considered a Covenant counterpart to the UNSC Army's M319 Individual Grenade Launcher.[5] In general, the Concussion Rifle's effects resemble those of the Type-25 Brute Shot, despite different appearances and modes of operation. Unlike these weapons, however, the Concussion Rifle's bolts do not bounce or ricochet.

Much like the feed system of the Type-33 fuel rod gun, the concussion rifle utilizes a magazine cell instead of the battery system used by most Covenant weapons. Each magazine holds six explosive charges, and is automatically ejected to the side when the weapon is opened for reloading.[3]

The concussion rifle is a powerful weapon and is very good at disorienting your enemies, as the blast sends the target into the air and the flash momentarily blinds them. Due to the concussion rifle's ability to send enemies flying into the air, you can use this to send a particularly strong target such as a Hunter off the map to instantly kill them. This effect also makes it an effective anti-vehicle weapon, as multiple shots fired from a concussion rifle can make a Warthog flip through the air.

The concussion rifle has a small magazine size and there is a scarcity of ammunition on the battlefield. Its blast is not as powerful as a Brute Shot or a rocket launcher and more shots are needed to kill powerful enemies. It is also very difficult to kill a shieldless Kig-Yar with this weapon, taking between two and three shots.

The concussion rifle serves as the in-game counterpart of the Brute Shot, as Elites are encountered much more frequently than Brutes during the campaign. In reference to this, the Halo: Reach strategy guide occasionally identifies the weapon as the "Elite Shot". However, the concussion rifle is wielded by both Elites and Brutes throughout the game, though this may be because Brute Shots were not implemented in Halo: Reach.

It is possible, although extremely difficult, to shoot concussion rifle projectiles out of the air with a precision weapon. They can also impact on rockets or fuel rods when they are in its path and be locked on to by a Target Locator.[6]

In Halo: Reach and Halo 4, the turrets mounted on Type-44 and Type-52 Phantoms and Type-25 Spirits fire projectiles that are identical to and have the same firepower as concussion rifle rounds. This may be a vehicle-mounted variant of the Concussion Rifle.